In this undated photo provided by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, former Atlanta Braves center fielder Otis Nixon is shown. Nixon was arrested in Canton, Ga., and charged with possession of cocaine and a drug-related object Saturday, May 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

CANTON — A popular former Atlanta Braves player has been indicted by a Cherokee County grand jury on possession of cocaine.

Otis Nixon, 54, the famed Braves center fielder known for his quick feet and strong glove, was indicted Aug. 12 on a felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor charge of possession of a drug related object from an arrest in May when a Cherokee County deputy found a pipe and several rocks of the drug on Nixon during a traffic stop, according to court records.

Nixon, a resident of Ranger, was arrested in the early morning hours of May 4 when Cherokee County 911 received a call reporting that his Dodge Ram was weaving on Interstate 575 near Ball Ground.

The Cherokee deputy responded and pulled Nixon over near Airport Road, giving him a field sobriety test.

Nixon passed the test, but police said they had already found a bag of crack cocaine and a pipe in his pocket. More crack and another pipe was also found in the floorboard of his truck, according to the police report.

The Cherokee deputy wrote in the report that Nixon claimed the crack and pipes were not his but belonged to his son.

“Otis told me his son used his truck and must have left the crack,” the officer wrote. “Otis said he was always finding drugs and drug objects left by his son.”

Nixon went on to tell the deputy that he planned to get rid of the pipe found in his pocket, the report says.

Police said they later found more crack next to the former Braves star in the backseat of the patrol car.

Nixon was on the roster for the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 1993 and again in 1999. He failed a drug test in 1991 and was suspended by Major League Baseball for 60 days.

Nixon was released May 7 from the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center on $11,880 bond, said Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

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